She might not have gone home with the Mirror Ball Trophy on Dancing with the Stars, but Mischa Barton says she's already won a far more valuable prize.
"I just got to this place where I needed space," the former DWTS contestant said toPeople of life after the OC. "I needed to rediscover what I loved about being an actress because, at a certain point, I was robbed of the fun aspects by being that much under the microscope."
Barton, who made a permanent move to London following a DUI in 2007, says that in Europe she was finally "able to take time and really explore who I was and who I wanted to be."
"I needed that time for myself to really do that self-exploration and get back in touch with my roots. I just needed time to be me and be a regular person. That balance is important. I am nothing but happy to have had that time in my life."
Happy for you too, Mischa. Though about that musical...
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![](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/gettyimages-861716964-1623664073.jpg?crop=1.00xw:0.334xh;0,0.152xh&resize=480:* "Nanci Ryder's "Team Nanci" Participates In The 15th Annual LA County Walk To Defeat ALS - Arrivals")
